There's a song in the musical Avenue Q that proudly proclaims "Everyone's a little bit racist, it's true..."   We've all heard it at work...maybe some of you have even said...

"All (fill-in-the-blank) are...

• Loud
• Lazy
• Greedy
• Emotional
• Cold
• Aggressive
• Over-achievers....

The list could go on and on.

But when it comes to diversity in the workplace, racism (or sexism or ageism) is not only illegal, it's bad for your company's success.  The fact is a diverse workplace is generally a more productive and successful one as well.

What Is Diversity?

Diversity is defined as the differences we recognize in ourselves and others, such as:

• Gender
• Culture
• Race or skin color
• Ethnicity
• Language
• Age
• Religion
• Sexual orientation
• Physical and mental abilities.

Diversity also encompasses so many other things such as economic status, point of view, educational background, job title and political beliefs. Diversity is not about the differences found among groups, but rather about differences among individuals. In fact, because each and every one of us is unique, there is really no beginning or end to diversity.

Diversity in the workplace isn't always easy

Even in large urban environments where diversity is a way of life, workplace diversity can get complicated. Personal biases, religious differences or family values can clash with those other members of the staff.  And in a few short steps, discomfort with diversity can turn into discrimination.That's why good leadership become critical.

The leadership factor

As a manager, it's important for you to understand the value of diversity so you can lead by example and avoid behaviors that could be interpreted as discriminatory.

It's up to you to set the bar, and make sure all employees are treated fairly and that hiring, promotions, layoffs and other work-related decisions are based on performance rather than personal traits like age or gender.

Model acceptance

There are some simple things any manager or supervisor can do to model the right attitude towards diversity:

• Enforce your company's policy of diversity.
• Identify and stop behavior in the workplace that could constitute discrimination. If you hear jokes made at the expense of one group, step in to let employees know that that is not acceptable in the company.
• Avoid making generalizations based on a culture, language, age or other similar factor
• Respond promptly and appropriately to those who come forward with complaints of discriminatory behavior.  Show them it's not just lip-service.
• Avoid showing favoratism for any one group.  For instance, don't base all holiday leave descions on the norms of one religion.  Or assume that only new moms will want or need time off after a birth

Make your workplace welcoming to diverse employees

• Post employee rights posters which describe prohibited discrimination and list behaviors that could be considered harassment
• Profile different religious holidays, cultural celebrations or national observance in your company newsletter or on an in-house blog. People fear what they don't understand, so accurate information is the best defense against discrimination.
• Offer sensitivity training to teach employees how to interact with those who may be very different in appearance, practice or belief
• Pay attention.  Managers can become preoccupied, and miss tensions until it's too late.